Acura Brings ILX Street and Racing Concepts to SEMA

Honda's premium division returns to SEMA with a couple of tuned ILX sedans that could help it regain some street and track credentials.

It's been a while since Acura last built an affordable entry-level model like the Integra, but things are different now with the new ILX sedan. Based on the Honda Civic, the ILX clearly presents many tuning possibilities, so Acura came prepared for this year's SEMA show with a pair of modified ILX sedans. The ILX Endurance Racer was developed by Team Honda Research-West with assistance from Honda Performance Development (HPD).

Set to make its competition debut at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, the ILX racer starts off with a bare ILX chassis. From there, the team began an extensive rebuild that utilized as many OEM components as possible. Added equipment included a full roll cage, race seat and safety harness, and an LED exterior lighting system. Several mechanical modifications to the clutch and suspension were also required, and all of these components are available to racers through the HPD catalog. The ILX "Street Build" concept, on the other hand, is meant to serve as a daily driver.

Built by Evasive Motorsports, the concept is geared towards enthusiasts looking to improve the car's performance. With the addition of a supercharger kit and a remapped engine control unit (ECU), the 2.4-liter inline-four's output jumps to 250 horsepower. Tack on some chassis and suspension modifications and a new brake kit and we're looking at what could be the best small Acura to hit the streets in years.